DTP 2016-2017 Aston University

Most of Aston's research in EPS subject areas is undertaken in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) with areas of excellence in the other Schools (notably Aston Business School and the School of Life and Health Sciences).
SEAS has recently moved its research to an Institute structure, building on the world-leading success of EBRI (the European Bioenergy Research Institute) and AIPT (Aston Institute of Photonics Technologies). SARI (the Systems Analytics Research Institute - incorporating the Non-linearity and Complexity Group) was formally launched at the start of 2015, while the School plans to launch the Aston Materials Research Institute, the Logistics and Systems Research Institute and the Engineering Education Research Centre in the near future. These areas embody our research priority areas where DTP-funded studentships will be made available, alongside Servitisation Research in the Aston Business School (ABS) and the Physical Science/Life Science nexus in The School of Life and Health Sciences (LHS).
Every student will be a member of a Research Institute to support both their generic and technical training needs and to allow the students to function effectively as a cohort. Students will be encouraged to join the Institute that is the most appropriate for them. Those students who are on projects allocated to ABS and LHS will be expected to make use of the equivalent provision within those Schools and to join the most appropriate Institute within the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Over the first year of their studies, the entire cohort of PGR students will study in an Integrated Graduate Research Environment. Training needs analysis will be carried out by supervisors. Compulsory modules will include generic Research Skills and time management, collaborative research, research, academic writing/presentation skills, entrepreneurship, and outreach. Optional modules will develop the students' technical skills relevant to their research project.

We normally expect PhD students to have weekly meetings with their supervisors and monitor progress through the documentation of these meetings. Three times per year there are formal progress review meetings that must be documented.

At the end of their first year, students prepare a qualifying report on their research and their research plan, and are examined in a formal viva. At the end of the second year, students should either prepare a progress report or give a presentation: in addition, there is an expectation that students will have at least one publication accepted in a peer-reviewed conference or journal. At the start of their third year of study, students are expected to provide a thesis outline and write-up plan.

Subject to quality (both of the project and the candidate) and other selection criteria, we expect studentships to be allocated as follows:
4 studentships to EBRI
2 studentships to AIPT
2 studentships to SARI
1 studentship to Power Engineering and Power Systems
3 studentships to LHS - one will be linked with the EPSRC-funded Bridging the Gaps Antimicrobial Resistance project "AMR4AMR" ( EP/M02735X/1)
2 studentships to ABS

In addition, three studentships will be ring-fenced to explicitly support research into the Mathematical Sciences.

More information can be found on our Graduate School's web page: http://www.aston.ac.uk/current-students/graduateschool/

Specific opportunities for PhD research can be found on the relevant School research web pages:

http://www.aston.ac.uk/eas/research/prospective-research-students/
http://www.aston.ac.uk/aston-business-school/programmes/research/
http://www.aston.ac.uk/lhs/research/postgraduate-research/